Friday, August 17, 2007

Is Bargain Hunting a Gender Thing?

Sale items and women

I went to WalMart this afternoon, intending to make a quick trip of it. I needed some of life's basics: laundry soap, trash bags, milk, and bread.

When I got my shopping cart and started into the store, I immediately noticed a long line of piled-full shopping carts. Each cart had a "Sale!" placcard on it. I saw the bait and I took the hook! I pushed my cart right over to those sale buggies and cruised past slowly, scanning to see if anything interested me.

I was soon busily digging through a cart of discounted "designer" socks for women. Several other ladies were looking through nearby carts. One lady was checking underwear sizes and another was asking her friend how a certain wallpaper border might look in her living room.

Something happened then that made us all pause and take notice. A portly man in shorts, about 60 years old, and a chubby little boy in shorts, about 10 years old, walked by the bargain carts. The man looked at us with scorn. "Hmmmph! A women's paradise!" he sneered to his sidekick.

We women, all strangers, looked at each other and snorted. One lady got mad. She started talking about telling off men who make remarks like that. It was a good thing the perpetrator had already left the area.

I wonder. Is it true that only women will hunt through a jumble to find a bargain? When "manly" places like Bass Pro or Home Depot have racks piled high with sale items, do the guys really just ignore them?

IT IS STILL BEST to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasure; and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.(Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1867-1957)